The Blog

A blaring car horn jolted Jay back to reality. He blinked to refocus on the road ahead, and straightened the wheel. He wasn’t sure how long he had been in a daze, but it was long enough to drift over into the next lane. He was usually more alert during the drive home, but not today.

Today, his mind was on life and not on driving.

As a young boy, financial success had been Jay’s dream. He believed money would solve most of life’s problems, especially the ones he endured growing up. His parents struggled to keep food on the table, and there were some cold nights occasionally if the power bill was late. Jay swore that when he got out on his own, he’d never be broke again.

​Now, he appeared to be doing well. After several years of working in the dry-cleaning industry as a delivery man, he started his own chain. The first two stores did so well he opened three more within a few years and had plans to expand into neighboring towns. Jay had built the empire he dreamed of - all before his fiftieth birthday.

But deep pockets couldn’t fix everything. Many nights, Jay lost sleep thinking about the mistakes he had made. Two divorces fueled his doubts about marriage, so he spent a lot of time alone. He was estranged from one of his kids and only spoke to the other one on special occasions.

The stress had been hard on his health, too. Over the last year, he had been diagnosed with diabetes and put on blood pressure medicine. He had tried dieting at the first of the year, but lost steam after a few weeks. Every day, it seemed he had less muscle and more flab, and wrinkles lined his face. The few drinks he had every night to calm his nerves didn’t help much.

Turning his attention back to the road, Jay looked in the rear-view mirror before changing lanes. That’s when he caught a glimpse of the weariness in eyes. “Is this as good as it gets?”, he asked himself.

The drive home was getting longer.

*****

Motivated by the financial struggles of his youth, Jay ventures out into the world to strike it rich. And he does. But as we ride along with Jay, we learn that his wealth can’t shield him from the anxiety that haunts him in solitude.

Some Christians believe that money is the root of all evil. But what does the Bible have to say about it?​

Does the Bible say that money is the root of all evil?

For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. And some people, craving money, have wandered from the true faith and pierced themselves with many sorrows.​(1 Timothy 6:10)

Here we learn that money itself is not the root of evil. The problem stems from the love of money. When money becomes the most important thing to us, we open the door to a world of misery. Many men (and women) have fallen from high places chasing fame and fortune.

But the Bible doesn’t always claim that having money is bad.​

God is the source of wealth.

The Bible abounds with a wealth of information on money. Here are some scriptures on the keys to success:

The blessing of the Lord makes a person rich, and he adds no sorrow with it.(Proverbs 10:22)

Remember the Lord your God. He is the one who gives you power to be successful, in order to fulfill the covenant he confirmed to your ancestors with an oath.(Deuteronomy 8:18)

The Bible also teaches us to take responsibility and care for our families.

But those who won’t care for their relatives, especially those in their own household, have denied the true faith. Such people are worse than unbelievers.(1 Timothy 5:8)

Good people leave an inheritance to their grandchildren, but the sinner’s wealth passes to the godly.(Proverbs 13:22)

Though God provides wealth, there’s another thing to consider.​

Would you give it all away?

Perhaps the most compelling story involving wealth comes from a conversation Jesus had with a rich man.

A wealthy man approaches Jesus and asks Him what he can do to have eternal life. Jesus initially tells the rich man not to murder, commit adultery, steal, lie, or cheat, and to honor his parents. The man responds by telling Jesus he has been living a good life and doing the right things since he was a young man.

Then, Jesus looked at him and said, “There is still one thing you haven’t done,” he told him. “Go and sell all your possessions and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” (Mark 10:21)​We see the man’s reaction to this in Mark 10:22:

At this the man’s face fell, and he went away sad, for he had many possessions. (Mark 10:22)

The man was devastated at the answer Jesus gave him. He obviously didn’t want to sell everything and give it away. After the man leaves, Jesus talks to His disciples about what had just happened.

Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, "How hard it is for the rich to enter the Kingdom of God!" (Mark 10:23)

At first, it sounds like Jesus told the man he had to give everything away to get into Heaven. But the point Jesus made was based on the man’s reaction to giving up all he had.

Matthew 6:24 explains the problem we often see with having wealth:

"No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other; you will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.”

The problem wasn’t that the rich man had money, but that he idolized it. Money was more important to him than God.​

Who is your master?

This concept isn’t limited to money. Many things could be more important to us than God - a job, a hobby, possessions, or even relationships with other people. The list is virtually endless.

Remember that God created you to be in a relationship with Him. If you put Him first in your life, He’ll help you handle whatever life throws your way. If you put Him first, you’ll have the kind of peace money can’t buy.

Hebrews 13:5 advises us to be content with what we have and rely on God to handle the rest: Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for He (God) has said, ‘"I will never leave you nor forsake you."

God knows the stress financial burdens can cause. But in Matthew 6:31-33, Jesus reminds us to put God first and He will make sure we have what we need.

“So don’t worry about these things, saying, ‘What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?’ These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.” ​(Matthew 6:31-33)

Think back to the story at the beginning of this post. Jay thought money would solve most of his problems, but struggled to cope with the unexpected.

Are you like Jay? ​

Become a member of The Desert Walker.

Hi Chris - A “wealth” of scriptures and thoughts to ponder here! Such a good reminder that money itself is neither good nor bad, and neither is it the solution to or cause of our problems. But it is rather our attitude (or the love of money) that is the root of all evil. As, always, our our hearts and minds need to stay focused on Christ and putting Him first. May we worship and serve Him!
Happy New Year, Friend!